Why Keir Starmer Will Fall |
Keir Starmer was always a curious choice for Labour Party leader; he never got the hang of politics and often gave the impression he didn’t want to. Britain’s former chief prosecutor rose imperceptibly up the party ranks at a time when Labour was desperate for someone with the basic commodity of competence—nothing more, nothing less.
The Britain of 2020 was in the throes of post-European referendum chaos. It had just transpired to elect Boris Johnson as prime minister, despite his buffoonery, based on his vague promise to “get Brexit done.” The main opposition party was in the grasp of the far-left Jeremy Corbyn. It decided on a change of course and settled on a man with no history: Starmer.
Keir Starmer was always a curious choice for Labour Party leader; he never got the hang of politics and often gave the impression he didn’t want to. Britain’s former chief prosecutor rose imperceptibly up the party ranks at a time when Labour was desperate for someone with the basic commodity of competence—nothing more, nothing less.
The Britain of 2020 was in the throes of post-European referendum chaos. It had just transpired to elect Boris Johnson as prime minister, despite his buffoonery, based on his vague promise to “get Brexit done.” The main opposition party was in the grasp of the far-left Jeremy Corbyn. It decided on a change of course and settled on a man with no history: Starmer.
His promise was to make Labour electable again, and that he did emphatically. In July 2024, Labour won a general election for the first time in 14 years and with a thumping majority of 174. It was the third-best showing in the party’s history. The Conservatives had collapsed. The two insurgent parties that are now the talk of the town—the far-fight Reform UK and leftist Greens—were nowhere to be seen.
Starmer inherited an economy in the doldrums, overleveraged on the bond markets, and a moribund public infrastructure. There was little of the exuberance and optimism that marked Tony Blair’s famous victory in 1997. But there was relief and an assumption that the dour new prime minister would roll up his sleeves and make things work again.
Less than two years later, the mood is sourer, and living standards for most have continued to stagnate or have fallen further back. Starmer is on his last legs, assailed by all........